Chess Puzzle #07VlN — Beginner, White to move, opening

Rating 964 · Beginner · mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, smothered mate.

Position

White: king g1; queen g8; rooks a1/e1; bishops b3/c1; knights f6/g5; pawns a2/b2/c3/d3/f2/g2/h3. Black: king h8; queen c6; rooks a8/e8; bishops b6/b7; knight a5; pawns a6/b5/c7/e5/g7/h7. White is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (1 move)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxg8 — rook e8→g8, captures queen. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nf7# — knight g5→f7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, smothered mate. The combination ends with Nf7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r3r1Qk/1bp3pp/pbq2N2/np2p1N1/8/1BPP3P/PP3PP1/R1B1R1K1 b - - 2 18

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Puzzle data from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0). Analysis powered by Stockfish 18 in your browser.